High school football: Riverside runs away from Harvey in second half

Two quarters into the game, Harvey was in reasonable position to end its two-decade losing streak to rival Riverside.
Four plays into the second half, that hope was all but gone.
The Beavers scored on three of its first four plays in the third quarter — and on its first six possessions of the half — en route to a 42-13 home win over the Red Raiders.
After a scoreless first half, Cameron Jefferies took a pitch down the right sideline for a 45-yard touchdown. Two plays later, set up by his own 41-yard run, Marcus Jones scored from 5 yards out.
Pat Remington caught a screen pass from Nick Fitzgerald and ran 63 yards for a touchdown. Jones followed with a 5-yard TD run, and before the end of the third quarter, Riverside was on the way to its 21st straight win over Harvey.
“On paper, this is the year that they could have beaten us,” Riverside coach Dave Bors said. “We’re dealing with some injuries, and we don’t have a lot of starters back. It could have happened.”
Harvey came into the game unbeaten through the first two weeks of the season, while Riverside was looking for its first win.
The two teams played evenly through the first half.
Fitzgerald, starting at quarterback for the injured Maxx Brubaker, completed 6 of 10 passes for 122 yards and one touchdown. Mostly due to the long pass to Remington, the Beavers were able to outgain the Raiders through the air, 122-43.
“We didn’t play our best football in the first half,” said Jones, who ran for two touchdowns in the rivalry game as a sophomore last year, “but the team really rallied together. It was a good experience, but we just need to put it behind us and get ready for next week.”
Alonzo Turner, arguably the most valuable player of the first half, was all over the field on defense and the Red Raiders’ most consistent rushing threat. He finished with 117 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns. His last rush, a 55-yard touchdown scamper, came as time expired in the fourth quarter.
“We’re not necessarily young on defense, but we’re inexperienced,” Bors said. “We were exploited in the first two weeks of the season, but the team put in the work to correct their mistakes.”
Riverside was plagued by turnovers and penalties in the first half. The Beavers lost two fumbles and gave the Red Raiders 55 yards in penalties in the second quarter alone.
Riverside committed two personal fouls during Harvey’s final drive of the first half. Starting on their own 5-yard line, the Raiders moved all the way down to the Riverside 28. A 27-yard pass brought Harvey down to the 1 but was wiped away by holding.
“We made a couple changes (defensively) this week,” said Jones, who also played as a linebacker, “and our defensive backs played the way we knew they could play.”
Harvey’s Marcus Rodgers ran for 79 yards on 15 carries. A fumble ended a promising third-quarter drive with the Raiders trailing, 14-0. Riverside scored on the next play, preventing a potential momentum swing.
After season-opening losses to Perry and West Geauga, Bors and the Beavers were glad to exit the field as winners for the first time this year.
“We haven’t arrived yet,” Bors said. “I’m not going to stand here and say that we’re great, because we’re not even close. But I’ll take it tonight.”
Riverside plays at Lakeside next week, while Harvey travels to West Geauga.Note: A Tout with Riverside running back Marcus Jones can be found here.